Abe Nouk

Hopscotch

Hopscotch is a popular child’s game whereby a player tosses a small object such as a stone, onto numbered squares drawn on the ground and then hops or jumps through the spaces to retrieve the object. It is can be played alone or with several players.

Players: Up to 5 children can play
You need: An object such as a stone.

How to play:

  1. Draw a traditional hopscotch diagram like the one below.
  2. Throw a small stone, twig, coin, beanbag, or other object into the first square. If it lands on a line, or outside the square, you lose your turn. Pass the object to the next player and wait for your turn.
  3. Hop on one foot into the first empty square, and then every subsequent square, but skip over the one your object is on.
  4. At the pairs (4-5 and 7-8), jump with both feet.
  5. At 10, hop with both feet, turn around, and head back toward the start.
  6. When you reach the square with your object, pick it up —still on one foot —and complete the course.
  7. If you finished without any mistakes, pass the object to the next player.
  8. If you fall, jump outside the lines, or miss a square or your object, you lose your turn.
  9. You must start where you left off when your next turn begins e.g. if you fell at square 3, this is where you begin your next turn.
  10. Whoever reaches 10 first, wins the game.

Hopscotch around the world:
Hopscotch is played throughout the world, sometimes with slight variations. This is what it’s called worldwide:

  • In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland hopscotch is called Himmel und Hölle (Heaven and Hell).
  • In India, hopscotch is also called Kith-KithStapuLangdiin the Hindi-speaking areas, or Ekhaat Duhaat or Ekka Dukka in Bengal.
  • Hopscotch is known as Potsy in New York City, (USA).
  • In Brazil, it is called Amarelinha, whist in Chile, it is known as Luche.
  • In Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay, and Spain, hopscotch is called Rayuela and Xarrancais the Catalan version of hopscotch.
  • Chindro is the South Asian version of hopscotch.
  • In Ghana, hopscotch is called tumatu, and in Zimbabwe, the game is called pada and is mostly played by girls.
  • In Sweden the game is named hoppa hage(lit. jumping the garden) and in Norway it is called paradis, or Paradise.
  • In Italythe game is known as campana (bell) or mondo (world).
  • In the Netherlandsand Flanders, it is called Hinkelen (skip).
  • In Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbiait is called školica, (little school).
  • In Malaysia, the most popular variant is called tengteng.
  • In Turkey, it is Seksek(from sek, "to hop").
  • In Russianit is known as классики (klássiki, meaning “classes”).
  • In Romaniathe game is called șotron and is widely played.
  • Hopscotch is called Marelle in France. They have a variation called escargot(snail) or marelle ronde (round hopscotch) played on a spiral course. Players must hop on one foot to the center of the spiral and then reverse their path to back out again.

Belo Horizonte, Brazil